Editorial: Rebuilding trust essential to Highway 101 solution

THE SEARCH FOR possible alternatives to the proposed Larkspur-Corte Madera Highway 101 project got off to a bumpy start.

That is not surprising given the lack of trust and political collaboration that has gotten this debate to this point.

After the Larkspur City Council and Corte Madera Town Council rejected the plan designed and pushed by the Transportation Authority of Marin, officials decided to form a special working group to consider possible alternatives.

Larkspur and Corte Madera officials have demanded the design be subject to an environmental impact report that would include alternative designs. Their complaint is that the project's proposed flyover, a new elevated lane that would extend from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard next to southbound 101 to Wornum Drive, is too much of an "L.A. freeway" solution.

At last week's meeting, Corte Madera's gripe was that TAM's board president Alice Fredericks, a Tiburon town councilwoman, had already been assigned as the special committee's chair. Town representatives have criticized TAM's leadership for pushing the $143 million project forward without making sure every town supports it.

Corte Madera's representatives complained and asked to have a committee vote. Fredericks was elected to chair the committee on a 5-2 vote, with Corte Madera's representatives, Mayor Diane Furst and Councilwoman Carla Condon, casting the dissenting votes. Larkspur's two representatives, Mayor Dan Hillmer and Councilman Brad Marsh, joined the majority.

This vote was less about Fredericks than it was about TAM's push to get this project built, even though Corte Madera long had reservations the project has been driven by the availability of funding, not design.

The TAM committee hopes to solve those problems.

Condon says she's hoping the committee provides "the opportunity to get a fresh perspective."

With five of the committee's members being on the TAM board a different, more collaborative approach will be vital to a successful resolution. Obviously, there's a pressing need for officials on both sides of this debate to listen, and for all sides to feel that they are being heard.

That is what's been missing and why this project has hit a political dead-end.

Disturbing flaws in accident statistics TAM presented to make a case for the project did little to help build trust.

"This issue goes to the heart of the trust issue people are dancing around. Everybody needs to hear that loud and clear," Hillmer said at the summit. He's absolutely right.

The committee's approach will determine the effectiveness of its deliberations. This project has been hamstrung by a lack of trust and strong leadership, making sure that all parties were heard and onboard as it moved forward.

Now, a committee has been formed to address issues that should have been resolved years ago. Fredericks, who gave up her vote as a committee member in an effort to build more trust in the panel's efforts, is optimistic. We hope she's right.